Samuel Warren, an African American, discusses his career as a production worker 
and UAW member at the Fisher Body plant in Lansing, MI


Cheryl McQuaid:	This is Cheryl McQuaid with the Lansing Fisher Body Historical Team. Today we’re preparing to interview [papers rustling] Sam Warren. It is January 9th, [papers rustling] 2006. We’re in the GreenHouse on Michigan Avenue across from 602 UAW Local Hall. Also present in the room?

Jerri Smith:	Jerri Smith.

Gary Judy:	Gary Judy.

Marilyn Coulter:	Marilyn Coulter.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[0:27] Sam, could you state your name and spell your last name for us?

Samuel Warren:	Samuel E. Warren, S-A-M-U-E-L, middle name is Earl, last Warren, W-A-R-R-E-N.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[0:44] And what is your address, Sam?

Samuel Warren:	2825 Woodview Drive, [sniffing] Lansing, Michigan.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[0:52] And are you married?

Samuel Warren:	Yes, I am.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[0:56] Do you have children?

Samuel Warren:	Yes, we have children.

Cheryl McQuaid:	Could you.

Samuel Warren:	A son that’s 29 and a daughter that’s 30 years old.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[1:07] Could you tell me a little bit about your education?

Samuel Warren:	I went to school in [tapping] Kansas City, Missouri and attended elementary school at George Washington Carver and went to Central High School in Kansas City, Missouri, and I’ve attended college at LCC, Lansing Community College...

Cheryl McQuaid:	[1:32] Did you...

Samuel Warren:	...in recent years.

Cheryl McQuaid:	...did you spend any time in the military?


Samuel Warren:	Yes, I was, uh, in the military from ’69 until ’71. I got drafted into the army.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[1:52] Um, why did you come to Fisher Body for a job?

Samuel Warren:	Well, actually, when I came to Lansing, I wasn’t looking for a job. I didn’t know anything about Fisher Body. [car engine] Came here at 19 years old and, to stay with an aunt that was recently widowed, and, uh, I w-, as soon as I got to Lansing, she said, uh, “There’s a lotta good jobs in this town.” So she said Fisher Body, Oldsmobile, Diamond Rio, and Motor Wheel I think was some a the companies that she mentioned, and she said you can, uh, use, uh, one a your cousins for a reference at Fisher Body, so I just went over and put in application, uh [car engine], and thinkin’ that they [car engine] might call me one day but they probably won’t call me, uh, and I got hired the same day. [laughter]

Cheryl McQuaid:	Marilyn Coulter.

Marilyn Coulter:	[2:52] Uh, Sam, when you said you went and put a, a application in, did you do that at the plant itself and what was the process?

Samuel Warren:	Yes, I actually went into the Plant, to the Personnel Department I think it was, and filled out a application and I was hired, basically hired that day. I took a physical and I was to report back I think the following Monday, that was, uh, February the 11th, 1969. So, I – it was unbelievable to me that [car engine] I got hired [car engine] that fast.

Marilyn Coulter:	[3:31] S-, so when you walked into the Plant, what was your thoughts?

Samuel Warren:	My thoughts were that I didn’t think I was gonna get hired. I thought I was gonna put in a application, but if you mean when I walked in the Plant to actually start work, uh, I was kinda scared, because I hadn’t actually came to Lansing to, uh, get a job; I just came to, uh, to meet some a my relatives and just see what Lansing was like, and here I am, I’m going to work, but, uh, people let me know that I was blessed right away. They said, “You have one a the best paying jobs here in Lansing, and you’re, you’re workin’ for GM. The ladies are gonna be after you. You gonna be able to buy a new car and everything.” As far as the work environment, it was pretty scary bein’ in the Body Shop and, but, uh, lot of older folks, uh, and most a them was men at that time, I can’t remember any women, they, uh, made me feel comfortable and kinda took me up under wings, but the work was really hard and, uh, I was quite scared.

Cheryl McQuaid:	Cheryl McQuaid. [4:40] Do you remember the first job that you were taken to?

Samuel Warren:	Yes, I remember, and I remember who broke me in, and I, I re-, remember my supervisor’s name and, and it was in the Body Shop. They took me up to a guy, and he’s deceased now; his name was [Fred Beach 5:01]. His daughter worked in there for the, in the cafeteria here recently, until the Plant closed; her name’s [Marsha Beach 5:08]. But Fred, he was a, they call an Intermittent Relief Man at the time. He broke me in on my first job, and the supervisor was [tapping] I think, uh, [Charlie Rose 5:19] at the time, and, uh, [car engine] I struggled, I really struggled learning the job. It was pretty hard. It was hard on my hands, uh, opening clamps, uh, from the Body Shop fixtures and, uh, [tapping] it was some physical work and I was, uh, shouted out and, uh, tryin’ to keep up and, but he stuck with me and...

Cheryl McQuaid:	Do you.

Samuel Warren:	...it was pretty scary.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[5:47] You said you were shouted at. Why were you shouted at?

Samuel Warren:	Uh, ya know, uh, “You haven’t learned that yet? I just showed that to ya.” I mean, it’s frustrating tryin’ to teach somebody a job, uh, uh, and I wasn’t used to that type a work, you know. Basically I had washed dishes as a young man, teenager, and, uh, pots and pans at restaurants, been a busboy and those kinda jobs, uh, but [clicking], uh, the physical, uh, the physical part a that job and, and, uh, the mental part, tryin’ to keep up on that assembly line, was pretty challenging and almost overwhelming, but we made it.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[5:47] Did you – could you explain a little bit more about what job you did? What, what were the elements [background conversation] of the job? Did you – I hear about [background conversation] spot welding. Did ya spot weld?

Samuel Warren:	The first job was not spot welding. As I said, I was, uh, uh, applying, uh, uh, big body parts to fixtures and, uh, opening those clams and fixtures, but, um, it was shortly after that I did do some spot welding in the Body Shop and I spot welded, uh, on the side frame area where the two side frames, left and right, came together, and, uh, with the floor pan of the car, and I did some spot welding on side frame. Matter a fact, there’s a couple guys in there right now, they nicknamed me “Sideframe,” and I saw one here recently and he, every time he sees me, he shouts, “Sideframe!” [laughter] So that’s what, that was my job, spot welding on the side frame. Uh, I think it was, uh, the fender area.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[7:43] So how long did you do the clamp job?

Samuel Warren:	I would say maybe 2 or 3 weeks.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[7:51] And then you were bunked or how did you get to the Side Frame Area?

Samuel Warren:	They just, uh, [tapping] brought another trainee into it and, uh, what those, that was actually [papers rustling] one a the easier jobs; you know, [tapping] the work wasn’t usin’ a, a gun or, you know, a spot welding gun or anything [paper rustling] like that, ya know. So, they, uh, took me to a more, uh, [papers rustling] should I say, uh, a job that was even more challenging than the applying, uh, fixtures and opening clamps. So spot welding, uh, th-, that was challenging, but it was pretty fun too. [clicking]

Cheryl McQuaid:	Marilyn Coulter.

Marilyn Coulter:	[8:31] So Sam, um, can you describe for us what the environment was like in the Body Shop?

Samuel Warren:	The work environment?

Marilyn Coulter:	Yeah, just the work environment. What was it like to work [inaudible 8:41]?

Samuel Warren:	Oh the work environment, it was, it was hot. We wore the protective clothing. We wore the glasses with the side shields and we had to wear hats on our head because spark would fly all over, even if you were walking through their area. It was smoky, and it was, uh, noisy. So, it was, it was one a the, should I say the most challenging places, probably, to work in, in the Plant, because I’m workin’ all three departments. And, uh, actually, when I was transferred or I was moved from the Body Shop, the, and went to the Trim Area, they told me I was goin’ to paradise.

Marilyn Coulter:	[9:33] So when you were in Body Shop, um, you had to wear the protective clothing and where you wore glasses and...

Samuel Warren:	Gloves.

Marilyn Coulter:	...gloves and hats and...

Samuel Warren:	Mm-hm.

Marilyn Coulter:	...stuff to cover your skin, and you said it was noisy and because it was noisy, how did that affect the way you communicated with people on the floor?

Samuel Warren:	Well, it was less communication, uh, in the Body Shop area compared to Trim. You basically communicated with the person right next to you or maybe across from you. It wasn’t, uh, ya know, a noise-free environment or almost noise-free environment that y-, I experienced in Trim. So, uh, we did talk, but we did most of our talking on our breaks and, uh, that’s just the way it was in the Body Shop in the area that I worked. It was, it was really noisy. There were no radios or, uh, [background movement] in the areas I worked in [inaudible 10:35] [background noises], people [door closing] had radios. [door closing]

Marilyn Coulter:	[10:39] How long did you work in the Body Shop?

Samuel Warren:	I worked in the Body Shop from ’71, late ’71 until around ’76, I think it was up until ’76 [door opening] and, uh, then I went to Trim.

Marilyn Coulter:	[11:06] So now you said your hired in in ’69, what – is that when you went to the military or something?

Samuel Warren:	Well, I guess I could tell ya how that all happened. After being hired into Fisher Body and workin’ there for 6 months – well, I would say after I worked there 3 months...

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Samuel Warren:	...I w-, I received a letter from Uncle Sam [door closing] and it said to go take a physical, and so we took a physical in Detroit and I was, uh, given a, uh, [tapping], um, a test down there, [background movement] a few tests [background movement] and whatnot, and then [background movement] 3 month after that, so this is 6 months after working in the Plant, I actually received [background noises] greetings from Uncle Sam; I was drafted into the United States Army. So I spend 2 years [background movement] in the army, from about [banging] August ’69 until August ’71. [background movement]

Marilyn Coulter:	[12:05] So at that time you went to the Vietnam War?

Samuel Warren:	Yes. [clanking]

Marilyn Coulter:	[12:10] And [clanking] so General Motors [background movement] held your job for you.

Samuel Warren:	Yes, mm-hm.

Marilyn Coulter:	[12:10] And so, did you notice any differences when you – from the time you left until when you came back were there what types a differences and did you come back into the Body Shop?

Samuel Warren:	[coughing] Yes, I came back into the Body Shop, and probably, uh, I don’t know how things had changed in the Plant. They hadn’t changed that much in 2 years, but I had changed as a person. I was, uh, a little more militant and I, I didn’t take as much. I, uh, had been at war and, uh, I wasn’t as, uh, friendly as I am now.

Marilyn Coulter:	Okay.

Samuel Warren:	And I, I didn’t know a lot. I was just a young – not a hothead, but I didn’t have the people skills that, that, uh, that I did..

Marilyn Coulter:	You’ve been...

Samuel Warren:	...uh, develop...

Marilyn Coulter:	...through a lot.

Samuel Warren:	...yeah. So, uh, but we did make friends. Some a them might a not been the right friends, [laughter] the rights choices after comin’ back from the military, and some a the things I experienced over there, some a the things I did, the negative things that I did in the military, ya know.

Marilyn Coulter:	[13:26] So when you came back to the Plant, Sam, what procedure did you have to go through? Did ya just come back in and let’m know you were back in the country and you were outta work, you’re outta the work now, it’s time to come back to work? How did that go for you? What was [inaudible 13:38]?

Samuel Warren:	Well, actually, uh, I, I left to enter the army, uh, at my draft board in Kansas City, Missouri, so I returned back home to Kansas City, and I was actually gonna give Fisher Body, and I wanted to go to Electr-, Electronics...

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Samuel Warren:	... Institute in Kansas City and, uh, I wanted to, uh, have a better job than Fisher Body. Silly me, I didn’t – I wasn’t the greatest, uh, student, uh, uh, with math...

Marilyn Coulter:	[clicking] Mm-hm.

Samuel Warren:	...and we went down and looked at, had a tour of the Electronics Institute in Kansas City and I saw all this algebra and everything on the board and I said, “Hey, I don’t know if I wanna go through with this.” I had saved quite a bit a money...

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Samuel Warren:	...for that period in, in the, while I was in Vietnam and, and I bought a brand new ’71 Buick Electric 225 and, uh, I didn’t need a cosign or anything [clicking] and they basically, uh, uh, after bein’ the army, that was, uh, my credentials that I had, about $1,500 to put down cash. So now I have a car payment, and that’s when I made my mind up; “You have a job in Lansing.” Fisher Body, you can return after 90 days after bein’ in the military ‘cause you were on military leave. I had all this paperwork in that I could do that, that was an option, and I was strugglin’ to try to decide what I wanted to do, and I, I got on the highway and high-tailed it back up here to Michigan to, uh, ya know, people were tell me that GM, uh, that’s one a the best jobs you could have, GM [inaudible 15:20] 3. So I came back to work and I went right back to the Body Shop, that’s where I was assigned to.

Marilyn Coulter:	And so it was a little bit different for you. [15:30] How long did you stay in the Body Shop?

Samuel Warren:	I stayed in the Body Shop when I returned in, in, uh, probably November ’71 and I stayed until about ’76 or ’77.

Marilyn Coulter:	Oh.

Gary Judy:	[15:49] Sam, uh – Gary, Gary Judy here – uh, what kind of experience after you came back from ‘Nam did you have with, uh, fellow workers that were also veterans? Was there any kind of brotherhood? Did you feel a brotherhood, uh, and maybe tyin’ it into the union sense at all?

Samuel Warren:	Yes, I f-, I felt a brother who had, uh, and I, I, not to wanting to sound biased, but, uh, when I was in, uh, in [papers rustling] Vietnam, uh, I had a experi-, a cultural experience that, uh, you know, there’s a movie out called Bloods, and the soul brothers at that time, we had some kinda special relationship, and we always talked about when we were in Vietnam how we were gonna come back and, and, and get on the right path and try to, you know, uh, uh, reach certain levels in life, you know, ‘cause even though this was, uh, early ‘70s, I experienced the ‘60s too, and we wanted to progress and, and, and do better and bring help bringin’ young brothers up and, and teach them.

	Ya know, we had all these dreams [chair squeaking] that when we come back, as we said to the world that we were gonna, you know, try to make it to the top, and, uh, so when I came back, uh, when I did meet, uh, fellow workers or people, uh, even outside a the Plant that had the same experience that I’ve had, and some of them had had some pretty, uh, more, uh, grim experience. Mine wasn’t that grim in Vietnam but, uh, it was still a war and, uh, so there’s always, uh, a special relationship with fellow veterans. It doesn’t matter whether it’s army or navy, marines, or whatever. Air Force, as – just knowing, uh, that you, uh, speaking with a veteran, you know, they have a certain respect for that person.

Gary Judy:	[17:55] Was, did ya find a lotta people coming back from Vietnam that worked in the Plant?

Samuel Warren:	Not a whole lot, uh, not right away, but eventually, throughout my career in the Plant, we’ve met a lot, yeah.

Gary Judy:	[18:10] How, how did you feel about the union, uh, [papers rustling] before you went to ‘Nam and then you came back from ‘Nam and worked in the Plant? Uh, did your feelings working in a union environment or in the Plant [car engine] change at all from, from serving in ‘Nam in the military?

Samuel Warren:	Well, actually, I had an experience when I was, uh, probably 16 years old that I look back on now that, that it gives a ind-, indication that I would be involved in the union, if I could tell that story, I...

Cheryl McQuaid:	Oh, please.

Samuel Warren:	...I will. When I was 16, my – I was workin’ at a company called Carter’s Catering, and my brother, he worked there too, my older brother who’s 2 years older than myself, and a lotta friends in the neighborhood, if they needed [car engine] extra help [car engine] for picnic parties and whatnot, they would send two, two, uh, guys here or two there, maybe three or four other catering jobs, and we were washin’ the dishes, we were washin’ pots and pans, we were loadin’ the trucks, and at 16, after I started drivin’, we were even drivin’ the truck sometimes. We were helpin’ the cook. We were, had a lotta different, uh, tasks that we did for this company, Carter’s Catering, and at that time, we were makin’ a dollar an hour, and around about October or November, I got some kinda, uh, idea in my head that we were gonna go and ask Carter for 25 cents more a hour [laughter] and, I don’t know, I guess I, I was sorta like the leader or the spokesperson with my buddies in the neighborhood that we a-, that we all worked there at times together.

	And, and so I had a little support too of’m say, “Well, well, we’ll stand behind you, we’ll go down with ya,” as we said back then; “We’ll go down with you.” And so we went to ask Carter for a 25-cent raise, from a dollar to a dollar and a quarter, and actually, the manager there, her – I remember her name; Anne – she said, “What? You want a dollar 25-cent raise?” And she said, “Wait a minute.” She got on the phone and she called Carter up, and, and she left the place and locked us in the catering kitchen downstairs. It was the VFW Hall, right outside the kitchen and bar up front, so the catering business was in the back. Locked us in there, and when Carter came, he wanted to know who, who was bein’ a trouble maker, “What,” uh, “What the hell you mean want a, a raise?” You know, and I said, “If we don’t get a raise, we’re gonna quit.” And, uh, “You can’t quit; it’s the holiday season comin’ up,” and I said, “Well, we’re gonna quit. We demand a 25-cent raise.”

	Here I am at 16, I didn’t actually know, uh, what I was doin’, but it was in my heart, I knew it was [coughing] an injustice. We were doin’ more work for the pay and we deserved it. And so, uh, after comin’ back, uh, bein’ in the Service, coming back in the Plant, hearin’ a little bit about unions and whatnot, uh, I still didn’t know where the Union Hall was, even up until ’76 [background movement] and that’s where it was basically at right now. I didn’t know much about the union. I heard about [rattling] union meetings and, um, so it was layin’ dormant in me, that, even that little seed in that experience that I had at 16 tryin’ to get some kinda economic justice.

Cheryl McQuaid:	Jerri Smith.

Jerri Smith:	[21:55] Did you get your 25-cent-an-hour raise?

Samuel Warren:	No, we didn’t, but I had a physical con-, confrontation with Carter and, [laughter] and it was, uh, it was quite a story and, and, [clicking] and I will know [laughter] where I could get better wages and, uh, [papers rusting] I tried to get some benefits, I wanted more, and I left there, and my brother stayed. I was pissed with him. [laughter] And, uh, [laughter] that’s another story. But the seed had been planted. I, I never did like to [background movement] see injustice and I always rooted for [background noises] for the underdog in that type a situation [papers rustling] out there, so that’s where I’m at. [papers rustling]

Cheryl McQuaid:	So. [recorder clicking] [background movement] [chair squeaking] [22:39] Sam, did you have a break in your seniority at GM before serving in the military?

Samuel Warren:	No, I didn’t. Your seniority, it goes on while you’re in the military. You’re on military leave. Ya don’t lose any time.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[22:55] So you kept your ’69 seniority hire-in date.

Samuel Warren:	Yes, yes I did.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[22:59] And did you notice any attitude change in the people that you used to work with when you came back from [door opening] bein’ in the Service?

Samuel Warren:	[background conversation] Yes, I did. Some a the people that, that knew me for the 6 short months I was there before entering the military, they, uh, [clicking] applauded me, actually, and, [chair squeaking] and, and thanked me and, uh, “Hey, you made it.” [laughter] “You made it,” ya know. “We didn’t think you were gonna make it.” A lotta people don’t make it and didn’t make it.

Cheryl McQuaid:	Marilyn Coulter.

Marilyn Coulter:	[23:35] Sam, did, um, your coworkers do anything special for you when you left or upon your return insofar as dinner, takin’ ya out, anything like that?

Samuel Warren:	No, they didn’t do anything, uh, special. I’ve met some, uh, some wor-, workers, coworkers that we became, uh, pretty good friends and they took me out for a drink after I got back, but for the most part, I was in another area, and some a the guys that I worked with, older guys, they – I would see them in the cafeteria, and I [door closing] sat there and ate with them and I told’m some a my stories. They [inaudible 24:18] [banging] quite interested in what happened and whatnot, but, uh, they didn’t give me a dinner. I think some, somebody bought me a dinner in the cafeteria. [background noises]

Marilyn Coulter:	[24:29] Sam, after coming back from the military, was there anything that you learned in the military or anything like that that helped you in your job when you returned?

Samuel Warren:	Yes, it did. Um, [tapping] I know that, uh, when you’re in a fox hole, everybody’s in the same color. Everybody’s the same [door closing] color if you’re in a fox hole. So you got your buddy’s back and, and he has your back, and, uh, so I did learn some diversity, because you have people, uh, of all cultures in the military and we’re in it for one cause, you know, and so. [door opening] Uh, you learned to trust a little more, you know, uh, if you’re working close with people and you, you just learn to, uh, work better in, in general because you’re in the military and that’s what’s expected, and...

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm.

Samuel Warren:	...and, ya know, you, you just came from a situation where you follow orders, and so basically I, I learned more discipline and I learned, uh, like I said, some diversity, and, and how to, uh, get along better and, [background conversation] but you know, I, I still had a few militant ideas that I had got from people that I met in the military, you know.

Marilyn Coulter:	Okay. Let’s fast forward to – Jerri.

Cheryl McQuaid:	Jerri Smith.

Jerri Smith:	Jerri Smith. [25:54] I just wondered, Sam, lotta times with the Vietnam War, a lotta people were not happy with the war itself and they treated a lotta the veterans badly. You didn’t get any a that reception [papers rustling] at Fisher Body when you came back?

Samuel Warren:	No, I don’t remember gettin’ any a that. [papers rustling]

Cheryl McQuaid:	Cheryl McQuaid. [26:15] Sam, what was your favorite job in the Body Shop?

Samuel Warren:	There was a job where I [tapping] think we put the front part a the floor pan into a machine and, uh, the machine, a robot, [background movement] welded that, and we didn’t have a whole [background movement] buncha robots at that time, and that was a good job because we could stack material on racks and over on the floor, and we basically gave each other a break. [door opening] Uh, my partner and I, we would take breaks [door opening] and, and we could build jobs ahead. [papers rustling] So that’s probably my favorite job in the Body Shop.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[27:03] And do you have a least favorite?

Samuel Warren:	[door opening] The least favorite was the first one. [laughter] Even though it wasn’t the hardest one, it definitely wasn’t the hardest one, spot welding was more challenging and everything, but just opening the clamps and, uh, and, uh, ya hit, hittin’ those, uh, [papers rustling] thing for 9, 10, 11 hours a day, [papers rustling] uh – well, at that time, it wasn’t so much [background noises] overtime. I was on the day shift, and I’d say 9 hours [background noises] a day, hitting those clamps with your hand, I, I’d go home and my hands would be throbbing, even though we wore gloves, and, and, um, my body would be [papers rustling] physically tired and.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[27:46] And you said that you went to Trim – you’d spent, what, about 10 years in the Body Shop?

Samuel Warren:	Hired in in ’69, so if you subtract, uh, 2 years outta that, up until I would say ’77, that’s 8 years. I spent about, I would say about 5 years...

Cheryl McQuaid:	In the Body Shop?

 Samuel Warren:	...in the Body Shop. Actually, 2 years, uh, in the military and 3 – 90 days after, um, leaving the military. So, uh, about 5 and a half years.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[28:23] And you said that you went onto the Trim Department and that people [clicking] said you were going to paradise. How did...

Samuel Warren:	Mm-hm.

Cheryl McQuaid:	...you get to the Trim Department and was it paradise?

Samuel Warren:	Actually, I got medical out of the, medically restricted out of the Body Shop. Um, I started havin’ problems and I, uh, um, was diagnosed with a, uh, with a condition called sarcoidosis, and, uh, I was playin’ basketball and got winded, and I went in to the emergency and had x-rays and whatnot, and, and it was pretty scary at that time, but it’s a lung condition, and it’s called sarcoidosis. And so, uh, after, uh, havin’ problems with that, I, uh, the smoke started botherin’ me and, and, uh, just breathing in general in the Body Shop, and so I, I got a permanent restriction outta the Body Shop because a my condition. 

	And, uh, [background conversation] the condition is one that, uh, it can be kinda dormant and then it can go, uh, it’s sorta like into, uh, not remission, but it could go, like I said, it, it could be active or inactive, [background conversation] and so once it became inactive, uh – it did after I was taken outta Body Shop and moved to Trim, [background conversation] and that was the only choice. Uh, they weren’t, wasn’t gonna send me to Paint with that restriction, so. [background noises] But people say, “You’re in, in paradise, and you don’t have to wear any coveralls or [background conversation] the protective gloves and things [background conversation] that, equipment that you wore, protective equipment that you wore in, uh, [background conversation] in the Body Shop, so. [background conversation]

Cheryl McQuaid:	Marilyn Coulter.

Marilyn Coulter:	[30:16] But in terms of doing the actual working, [background conversation] was doing the job, were doing the jobs in Paint paradise comp-, compared to doing w-, I mean, doing the jobs in Trim paradise compared, compared to doing the jobs in Body Shop?

Samuel Warren:	Well, um, [tapping] just getting outta the Body Shop and, and feeling better, you know, my health-wise, it was paradise, and but the jobs that I, I [car engine], I was placed on, uh, uh, that sorta like a shock too. It seemed like it was, uh, more fast-paced in Trim for whatever reason.

Marilyn Coulter:	[31:00] Sam, working in Trim and working in the Body Shop, what were some a the biggest differences outside of not having to deal with the smoke? What were some a the difference, differences that you noticed in terms of the work, in terms of the people, in terms of what you did for breaks, where you went for lunch? Tell us a little bit about when you first came to Trim. What was your life like?

Samuel Warren:	Well, it, uh, did seem that I met more people and I was able to communicate more because of the lack of the noise. [background conversation] Uh, you didn’t, we didn’t have radios blasting, [background conversation] uh, at that time like they did when the Plant closed, ya know. Uh, there’s more bass in the music and everything now and everybody, maybe a few people had a boom box, started to meet, uh, more women had more, uh, uh, should I say more access to meeting women coworkers because, uh, uh, I guess they placed most a the women, more women in Trim Department. So it was a, uh, opportunity to meet more people, and, uh, and actually see what they looked like. [laughter] You could wear whatever you wanted to in Trim and everybody basically looked the same in the uniform in the Body Shop, so it was, it was, I was feelin’ better, like I said, physically and, and it was, felt like paradise compared to working in the Body Shop.

Marilyn Coulter:	[32:42] So what’d you do for lunch? For lunches? How’d you, how’d you pass the time workin’ in the Plant?

Samuel Warren:	Basically, I, uh, did negative things. I’m, I’m a child a the ’60s and ’70s, and, and some a the experience I experienced in Vietnam and same a the [background conversation], the, uh, maybe habits or almost-habits, uh, I continued when I came back. [background conversation] I never did get too far out of hand because I did get married, uh, in ’72 [background conversation] and I always kept things in check, but when I spent my time out with the boys, uh, at lunch, doin’ some things that, uh, the ’60s and ’70s people were doing. I never ever drank before I went in the army, let alone, uh, smoked anything, but, uh, after goin’ in the army, I experienced it all and, so, uh, when I came back to the Plant, it was a lotta people that were, were, uh, doin’ recreational things on their lunch hour, sometime before entering the Plant, sometime after the work was over we’d get together.

Marilyn Coulter:	[34:01] So the Plant is surrounded – there’s Harry’s, there’s Gus’s, there’s the Irish pub. There were eating and spirit establishments around. Did you frequent those places at lunch and breaks?

Samuel Warren:	No, b-, basically we’d jump in a, uh, station wagon, and it was pretty smoky in the station wagon. We’d drive down here on Rosemary, I think, and, uh, we’d get us some, uh, some head cheese or some cold cuts, snacks and chips and things you could munch on once ya got back to work after lunch, because you may have the munchies, that they call the munchies.

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Samuel Warren:	And, uh, we’d walk back in through Plant protection and they would, uh, kinda know what we did for lunch. [laughter]

Marilyn Coulter:	[34:55] So during that time, did you have what was known [throat clearing] as The Wagon and did you partake in that and can you tell us what that was?

Samuel Warren:	Oh, I was a very good, one of their main customers ‘cause I always wanted somethin’ to munch on [laughter] and, uh, we just loved, uh, the Wagon, and, and sometimes they would have some flirty young women on the, that, uh, had the Wagon job. I guess they were lookin’ for a boyfriend or somethin’ so they could, uh, maybe get some bennies, ya know? [laughter] Yeah, I remember quite a few a the wagon girls, uh, I was pretty friendly with but not to the point, uh, of, uh, should I say doin’ anything, uh, inappropriate; I was married, but there was a lotta flirting goin’ on and, and we used to love to see the Wagon comin’.

Marilyn Coulter:	[35:50] And now, did that come, that came what, how did that come, like, and what, can you describe what a Wagon was?

Samuel Warren:	Yeah, they would basically push a cart, uh, [car engine] to a certain area in, in the Body Shop area or even up in Trim, and they would come at, uh, break time, a little ahead a break time, and they would have juices [tapping] on the Wagon, donuts, some, uh, sandwiches, uh, chips and candy, gum and those type things. [background conversation] I don’t know if they had coffee, but I’d basically get my chips and juice, and people loved the Wagon. I, I still hear people to this day talkin’ ‘bout “they took our wagon,” ya know? [laughter]

Marilyn Coulter:	[36:41] And so that was, um, what, 6 to 7 minutes in the morning and 6 to 7 minutes in the afternoon?

Samuel Warren:	Yes, mm-hm. [background conversation]

Cheryl McQuaid:	Cheryl McQuaid. [36:53] Sam, when you came to Trim, what kind of job did you, were you put on?

Samuel Warren:	[chair squeaking] When I came to Trim, I was put on, uh, believe it or not, I was put on [background conversation] a job that was sorta similar to my first job in the Body Shop where I had to use my hands where we’re putting a door rubber around the door, [background noises] so when I came I had to use my palm to, uh, [background conversation], to, uh, place the rubber on and, and secure it so it, I did have some problems with throbbing hands again, once again. It was like flashbacks to [background conversation] – so, uh, that was, I think, my first job in Trim [background conversation] and it was on the B Line, [background conversation] upstairs on the B Line. [clicking] [background conversation] And, uh, I remember a couple a my supervisors. I think one’s name was [Paulette 37:47] [background conversation] and she had been recently put [background conversation] on supervision, and, uh, actually, before I left the Body Shop, I was asked to, uh, uh, if I wanted an opportunity to go on supervision and, and I turned it down. [tapping]

Marilyn Coulter:	Hm. So.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[38:08] Did, um – was that on the day shift, the door rubber job?

Samuel Warren:	No, it was on nights. [background conversation]

Cheryl McQuaid:	That was nights?

Samuel Warren:	Mm-hm.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[38:15] When did you go to the night shift?

Samuel Warren:	I was on nights and I, [background conversation] uh, I was on nights in Trim. [background conversation]

Cheryl McQuaid:	[38:23] Oh, so your amount of time on the day shift was only [papers rustling] before you went to Vietnam? Just your like first 90 days or?

Samuel Warren:	Yes. I was on, I – [background conversation] days the first 6 months [papers rustling] after hiring in, when I came back from, [papers rustling] uh, military service, I [background noises] was immediately put on nights. [background conversation] So when I was [background noises], uh, moved to Trim in I think ’77, I was still on nights.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[38:57] Did you ever buy – you said that you used to buy munchies from the, the Wagon that would come through. Did you ever buy anything from other vendors in the Plant? [background conversation]

Samuel Warren:	At that time, uh, [background conversation] after first going to Trim on night shift, I don’t [car engine] remember any independent vendors. I cannot recall any independent – it seems like when I went to days – [background movement] I wasn’t on nights that long before I went to days in Trim – uh, that’s when I started seeing, uh, independent vendors, and there were plenty of’m, [background conversation] uh, serving all types of goods, uh, whether it be, uh, food or beverages, coffee, pop, or whatever. Sandwiches. But I saw, uh, many vendors. Eventually became one myself.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[39:57] And [laughter] what kinda vending did you do?

Samuel Warren:	I sold pop in there for quite a few years and I, I tried to sell sandwiches in there. [car engine] Uh, we had a fella name of [Frenchie 40:11]. [throat clearing] Well, actually, there was two Frenchies; one was Frenchie and one was The Frenchman, and they were vendors, and their, they were one was in my area and the other was in the area down from me, and I was kinda I guess fascinated on the money that they made, uh, on the side and so I, uh, had opportunity to, uh, sell pop. I was helpin’ a guy. He, he sold the pop on night shifts, Skilled Tradesman, and he want-, he asked me to sell, uh, kinda watch his, uh, operation or his business durin’ the daytime, he would open it up, and I could stock it up and look after the money, and so he – the money never did grow that much, the business didn’t grow, and he said, “You can have this. They don’t wanna drink any pop on days.” So he gave it up and gave it to me and I just kept pursuin’ it and, and [background conversation] someone else that was in the Trim area, they had a business sellin’ pop, and they, they gave it up then, so there was no more competition and everybody started comin’ to me. So then it grew from there.

Cheryl McQuaid:	Gary Judy.

Gary Judy:	[41:27] Sam, how much extra money could make a week in the plants vending, selling pop and sandwiches or, or whatever over and above your check?

Samuel Warren:	Well, um, I had, uh, always had spending money. I had spending money, [car engine] and there was a lotta guy in there, I used to tease’m. They, they basically figured it out [car engine] and used to tell me how much I made, ya know, and I used to [laughter] tease’m; I said, “What do you guys do, get in your van pools and, and go home and, and on the way home you try to figure out how much Sam Warren is makin’ sellin’ pop?” Ya know...

Cheryl McQuaid:	Mm.

Samuel Warren:	...“Okay, he bring 6 12-packs in every day and, ya know,” and take it from there, but basically, at one time, [coughing] I think I, in the summertime, I made, a 70 or 75-dollar profit one day, and that, that’s probably the record one-day.

Gary Judy:	In one day.

Samuel Warren:	Yeah, mm-hm. I did that in one day.

Gary Judy:	[42:33] How many, how many years did you do that for, the vending?

Samuel Warren:	Well, that $75 wasn’t one, wasn’t, ya know, consistent, but I remember that probably bein’ a record. [recorder clicking]

Cheryl McQuaid:	[42:48] Sam, why do you think that the vending businesses did well in the f-, Plant?

Samuel Warren:	I think, uh, because of the convenience, uh, a lotta vendors did well, and, and the location was played a part too, just like in any business, ya know, in a community. [background noises] A lotta times, uh, you were guaranteed almost to get somethin’ from a vendor, independent vendor versus a machine. You could go there and it could be out, the machine could be out of order, all those type a things, and, uh, there was a honor system where if you didn’t have the money, if you didn’t have change. So, uh, there was a, a lotta good things that contributed to, uh, those guys doin’ and girls doin’ well, including myself.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[43:48] Did you ever play in the check pools or any of the gambling that went on in the Plant? [papers rustling]

Samuel Warren:	Yes, uh, I think most people participated in the check pools and, and, uh, some a the other games that they had, but I always tell people now when they ask me [papers rustling] “Do you wanna get in a football pool?” or get in some type a pool, workin’ in that place for over 30 years, I’ve probably won 1 football pool and maybe 1 check pool, so I haven’t been the luckiest person in that regard, but, uh, it sure was fun. [tapping]

Cheryl McQuaid:	Marilyn Coulter.

Marilyn Coulter:	[44:34] Um, Sam, when you were working in the Body Shop and working in Trim Shop, did you ever see any pranks on the people and did you ever pull any pranks or did you have any new hiring initiations or anything like that?

Samuel Warren:	Yeah, we’ve seen pranks pulled, but we haven’t pulled any our, ourselves. I wasn’t, I’m not that type of [coughing] person. I don’t like pranks pulled, I don’t like surprises and that type thing, but I’ve seen a lotta people, uh, do things that I didn’t even think was funny, you know, and, uh, at some times I expressed that, “Hey, you shouldn’t do that,” but you just have some pranksters. And, uh, another thing that amazed me in the Plant, and, uh, you all probably know people that they can tell ya 15 jokes in one minutes, and they have memories like crazy where they remember jokes and they always got a joke for you. I’m not very good at remembering and telling jokes, so.

Marilyn Coulter:	[45:44] Sam, do you remember when one of your happiest moments was in the Plant?

Samuel Warren:	[background conversation] Uh, recently, when I got my, uh, 30-year award. [laughter]

Marilyn Coulter:	[45:55] And what was that?

Samuel Warren:	Uh, it was an award. [door closing] Actually, it was a certificate. So it was a paper certificate sayin’ ya got 30 years. I felt, uh, some freedom and options that I had.

Marilyn Coulter:	[46:14] So Sam – well, it’s Marilyn Coulter – Sam, um, you’ve been there for 30 years. In your 30 years, what were [car engine] some of the biggest changes that you noticed inside [chair squeaking] Fisher Body, Lansing? [chair squeaking]

Samuel Warren:	If I could answer the, uh, go back to the question before this?

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Samuel Warren:	So, the happiest – after I got involved [door closing] in the union, uh, I had some of my happiest moments bein’ involved in the union, uh, and bein’ a GM employee and a UAW, uh, member and, uh, even a, uh, UAW Representative. I’ve had so many happy moments, I couldn’t begin to tell ya, but, uh, and, and I’ve been the type of person that I would try to, even in a work situation, kinda make, uh, that a party or [laughter] make it fun at work, ya know?

Marilyn Coulter:	[47:09] So you said when you got involved with the union. When did you get involved and how and why did you get involved in the union?

Samuel Warren:	Actually, uh, uh, I have to thank my beautiful wife for bringin’ that to my attention. Uh, she had got involved in the union, and it was probably around ’71 – I mean, not ’71 – ’91, pardon me, and, uh, she was starting to get involved and, and, uh, she was going to go to a conference, she knew about a conference called Black Men in Union and she asked me to inquire about it, ya know? She thought there was a chance that we might go together or somethin’. So, uh, I had brought it to the powers that be or the appropriate person that I should ask; I would relay it to Marilyn Coulter, to you, and, uh, and I asked you about the conference and you told me, uh, that they had delegates already but you’d consider me, you know, maybe if someone dropped or, or whatnot, and, and, and actually, thanks to you, Marilyn, I got a chance to – and thank 602, uh, uh, leadership and whoever and that played a part in that, I was able to, uh, [car engine] get a chance to go to a very educational, uh, conference that kinda lit a fire in me and I [papers rustling] became involved in our Local 602.

Marilyn Coulter:	I’m gonna step away from that. [48:49] Now, is your wife a member of 602?

Samuel Warren:	No, my wife’s a member of 652.

Marilyn Coulter:	Oh, so she works at the sister plant.

Samuel Warren:	Yes.

Marilyn Coulter:	Okay. And the, do the chasse side where they finish off our product.

Samuel Warren:	Correct.

Marilyn Coulter:	So, you became active. [49:07] Um, did you ever hold any positions in your local?

Samuel Warren:	Actually, [clicking] it all started, uh, [car engine] some involvement, from bein’ a EPG leader; it kinda gave me a little confidence to, to even come to you and, and, and ask you about goin’ to the conference. I think that EPG Leader played a part in me, uh, getting’ involved in the, uh, Local 602 also.

Marilyn Coulter:	Sam, excuse me. [49:41] For those who, for those who don’t know what EPG is, could you please explain what EPG is, stands for?

Samuel Warren:	It’s, uh, Employee Participation Group, and, uh, we did receive quite a bit of training, uh, in that program. We, uh, did a week’s training in Ann Arbor and we did some training, um, in the Plant and some off-sites [tapping] here in Lansing, and it, uh, gave me s-, some confidence and gave me some kind of, uh, [car engine] uh, new skills and whatnot to, uh, to, uh, [tapping] just go forward with, and so that, ya know, all has helped me, ya know, in, in my endeavors with the 602 and the programs that we’ve been involved with with 602.

	My Employee Participation Group, matter a fact, we had to be elected. Uh, during that time, uh, I guess some people might a got the job if nobody else wanted it, but actually I remember winning my first election, uh, I ran for EPG Leader against a fella named [Dwayne Beaucoup 50:53], was very popular in our area, and he was a, an Intermittent Relief Man and, and I pulled a upset and I became the EPG Leader, and I thought that was somethin’, uh, big, ya know. [door closing] And so we been, uh, bein’ involved in elections with 602, bein’ elected to the first, uh, uh, position I ran for was Conservation/Recreational Chairperson, uh, in 1993, and we won that position, but before I, I decided to, uh, run for Conservation/Recreation Chairperson, I had considered, uh, running for Veteran’s Chair, but I, I thought I would be better as something, uh, with the fun things, really; fun things and workin’ with people. So that’s, I guess that was a pretty happy time to win that election too, because you never know.

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm. [52:05] Sam, you said that you were involved in Employee Participation Group Leaders. Uh, after coming, hired in in 1969 and working up, up until the 1990s, did you ever think that there would be a time when they would allow employees to get involved [clicking] in the product and the inner workings [clicking] of the Plant like they have? [chair squeaking]

Samuel Warren:	No, actually, uh, it seems like we were sorta the first groups [background movement] that were sent to, uh, [background movement] trainings and [door opening] there wasn’t talk [background noises] of, uh, uh, I didn’t, [chair squeaking] I don’t even know if they had joint programs at that, [chair squeaking] at that time. [chair squeaking] I don’t know when all a that took place, all the jointness and, uh, [door opening] and, uh, [door closing] the idea of letting employees have more input into their job, that’s al-, always been sorta like a, uh, [sniffing] uh, most people, they feel like let’s just, uh, just talk and, uh, and then management hasn’t really, really, uh, taken that really to heart, but they, ya know, the Main Street School fiasco and everything, um, and people are still wondering right now to this day, [clicking] uh, are, will they really be allowed the input, and, and I think they, ha-, have been, because we have the Early Involvement Program and we have people reporting at the union meeting on how this new plant is gonna allow employees, uh, to have a, uh, firsthand, uh, you know, uh, they, they, they’ll be able to have a firsthand, um, should I say, what, uh, the word I’m lookin’ for – say, a firsthand say on how this is done and how jobs are setup and [background movement], and how they [background noises] gonna go forward with the new product. So I think it’s all good.

Marilyn Coulter:	[54:11] S-, how do you feel that these programs, even with the Main Street School training, [car engine] how do you think or do you think they’ve affected, um, the workers in the Plant? [car engine] On how we work in our day-to-day activities.

Samuel Warren:	[chair squeaking] I think even though people, uh, don’t necessarily [papers rustling] believe in management so much they believe in themselves, and they know that they, uh, have abilities and, and the desire to make General Motors the best product, ever since I’ve been working, uh, for GM, and [papers rustling] throughout my career, I’ve seen people build cars over there with pride no matter how much support we got from management and whatnot, and it’s, it [car engine] show-...

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Samuel Warren:	...it’s showing to this day and it’s probably we’re gonna, why, uh, [car engine] we have the new products [throat clearing] in the Plant; uh, because of people building car-, quality cars and buildin’ with pride...

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Samuel Warren:	...and havin’ a, always havin’ a somewhat mistrust of management and what management says and what management allows them to do, they still continue to, uh, do their best.

Marilyn Coulter:	[55:33] I’m gonna – and I’m sorry for jumpin’ back here, but as the Recreation Chairperson, how did what you did as a Chair-, what were some a the programs that you did and how did you effect the working lives of the employees?

Samuel Warren:	Well, uh, after [banging] being, uh, elected Chair of the Conservation/Recreation Committee, I was, I’ll never forget, uh, [Rudy Reyes 56:02] told me, “You get to pick your committee.” Well, I didn’t know. [laughter] “What do you mean?” “Well, just to try to get some people that you can work with and some people that’s loyal to you and, and people that wanna serve the membership like you do.”

	And so, uh, I have to say, uh, the things I did, they were done because I had a great team. I always had great people to work with and, uh, we tried to stay focused on [door opening] the things that we did and, uh, the, the joy of it all [background movement] was that we connected with [door closing] people [door closing] at work and we connected with people outside a work, [rattling] and that was always, uh, uh, uh, the great reward [background noises], and this is [background noises]; you know, [background noises] gettin’ to work with people, you get to, uh, [background noises] meet their families, you get to [background noises] – whether it be father and mother or whether it’s their children, [background noises] [banging] brother and sister, and then opportunity to, to meet people, and sometimes people, they need, uh, releases, ya know, after spendin’ that stressful week in the Plant, uh, you, you know at the end of the week you’re goin’ to see the Lions or you’re goin’ to, uh, see the Tigers, or you’re gonna play golf or whatever, and, uh, to be able to know that you’re connecting in the Plant and also connecting outside a the Plant with people, I think, uh, people need those type a activities.

Marilyn Coulter:	[57:37] Did you see your brothers and, your coworkers as your brothers and sisters?

Samuel Warren:	Oh definitely. [background noises] Definitely.

Marilyn Coulter:	[57:45] Were there any relationships that you developed inside the Plant that went outside of the Plant where you spend time away from the Shop together?

Samuel Warren:	Oh yes. I [coughing] remember [coughing] one a the first persons that I put on my committee was a, uh, uh, lady I worked with, and we had a very good workin’ relationship and [car engine] we had things in common and, uh, and, uh, I thought she was a great lady. She, she lost her husband, uh, early and, uh, after bein’ married, her name’s [Annie May 58:21], and Annie May was the first person I put on my [car engine] committee, and Annie was such a sweet person, I started, uh, buildin’ my committee around her and I said if she’s such a great person, I even picked a couple of her good friends to be on, on, on our committee, and, uh, me and Annie, Annie and I, we were so, uh, I guess, tight at work that she became tight with my wife [papers rustling] and they became, [papers rustling] they started going, uh, golfing together, they, they were going to the spa together, and so, you know, it, uh, it was a great relationship at work and outside a [coughing] work and it [coughing] extended [coughing] beyond that; it extended to, uh, her becoming, as I said, friends with my wife, me pickin’, uh, other people that was friends with her, so we became [coughing] like brothers and [coughing] sisters and, and a small family. So that’s, uh, sorta how [car engine] it all got [car engine] started.

Cheryl McQuaid:	Cheryl McQuaid. [59:22] Sam, you mentioned that you received your 30-year certificate recently. [car engine] Are you going [car engine] to be going to the [car engine] new plant? [car engine]

Samuel Warren:	Actually, I [car engine] received, uh, [car engine] my certificate, uh, a few years ago, because I have over 30 years, as you know, uh, and when they did bring the information and the options, uh, for people to, uh, [paper rustling] to fill out, uh, before the Plant closed, I chose the option of, uh, [background conversation] I plan to retire and not go to the new plant, and I went into the jobs bank. That was a option that was more appealing to me, and so that’s what I’m doing; now I’m in the jobs bank and, uh, I don’t plan on goin’ to the new plant.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[60:16] Sam, are there – is there anything that we’ve not asked you that you would like to talk to us about? [car engine]

Samuel Warren:	Sh-, um, there’s a lotta things I could talk about. I could, uh, one thing that I’d like to talk about, I guess, is, uh, the opportunities that people have, not only myself but anyone who works in that Plant, has, uh, we, uh, I used to, uh, experience sometimes people that would come up with insensitive uh, uh, maybe a joke or, or, uh, or a statement or somethin’ and, and all the things that I’ve learned about bein’ around people, I would tell them I, there was a time I’d get mad, and, uh, but in recent times, I would tell them that “I’m, I, I’m not mad at you for doin’ that or sayin’ it, but I’m disappointed in you.”

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Samuel Warren:	And I said, “Here you are comin’ to a University of Fisher Body every day where you can learn diversity, communication, sociology, and everything. I know you live in a small town, uh, and you’re livin’ in a small world maybe, but here’s a chance to come down here every day. Shame on you if you’re comin’ to school here at the University of Fisher Body and don’t learn somethin’”...

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Samuel Warren:	...and take it back.” I can see if you stayin’ in Shepherd all your life or wherever, you know, but here, we have a chance to...

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Samuel Warren:	...and, and if someone, uh, got on my nerves or, uh, pissed me off, I wasn’t the kind that would shun’m and say “I’m not gonna be bothered with this person;” I would just keep communication and communicating with them, and I’ve gained some create friends in there of all different cultures and backgrounds just by communicating and expressing myself that kinda way, [car engine] and that’s, that’s one of the things I, I’m kinda proud about and happy about. I’ve, uh, met a lotta people where we started off rough and we were able to s-, in some cases, I said we caught big fish bein’ involved in the union because I was spreading, uh, the word to, uh, try to get people involved and get’m to the union meetings and whatnot, and some a these persons might be, uh, not anti-union or maybe really negative toward the union and, and I just kept on bein’ persistent, and I would see them at some of our events now and whatnot, so it’s like...

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm.

Samuel Warren:	...ya know, tryin’ to always reach out and bring somebody in and, uh, not give up on people.

Marilyn Coulter:	Uh.

Cheryl McQuaid:	Jerri Smith.

Jerri Smith:	Yes. [63:07] Sam, we’ve had where we’ve talked to other people about having music and stuff like that in the Plant, and I hear that you play a mean guitar and – well, in fact, I’ve heard you before. Can you talk about have you done this in the Plant with other people? [Inaudible 63:22] or by yourself or whatever?

Samuel Warren:	That takes me back to another, uh, [car engine] great day I had at work. I won’t beli-, uh, I can’t believe I took my guitar in, in the Plant, and I actually played the guitar for a young lady up on the line, and she was havin’ a bad time in her life and I dedicated a song to her and she actually, uh, she had tears and, uh, [throat clearing] and it was just, uh, [background movement] uplifting to her that someone would take the time and, and pay attention to her and, and like I said, she was goin’ through a hard time and, and, uh, and she thought that was pretty neat.

	And also, the times that [background movement] [Lyle Birchan 64:07] would come to, he would just run into me by accident a lotta times and, and he was always ready to play and, and as you all know, Lyle plays harmonica, and he can pull a harmonica [clicking] out at any time, a lotta times in any key, and do a impromptu performance so, or entertain right there on the line and, and, uh, I wouldn’t have my guitar, but we’d sing and he’d play the harmonica. So there’s been some great times like that, right on the spot at work, and a lotta people thought it was great, and you’d see some people were just sittin’ [background noises] [inaudible 64:47] would say, “Oh,” [background conversation] that [banging] you probably don’t need to do that here on the line,” but most people thought it was great and, and I really enjoyed that. Actually, uh, bein’ in the bank is allowing me [rattling] to pursue my musical, uh, a, a, uh, Associate’s [rattling] Degree in music, [rattling] and that’s what I’m doing right now; I’m going to LCC and, uh, tryin’ to pursue, uh, a music degree.

Marilyn Coulter:	[65:19] Um, Sam, you are pursue – Marilyn Coulter – you are pursuing a music degree, but, uh, while you were working, you were like workin’ on the line by day and you p-, you, you were actually performing in different groups around the community for quite a few years. Is that not correct?

Samuel Warren:	Yeah, that’s true. And, uh, I have another great story. [laughter] Actually, uh, around about 1977 is when I had, well, I started a band in ’76, and so we played and practiced for a year, and I was goin’ to LCC, uh, takin’ a few music classes back then, [chair squeaking] and, uh, and when they asked me to go on Supervision, I had stars in my eyes. I thought, “I’m a supervisor. They work swing shifts. You’re on, on nights 3 months and back on days, and that was gonna hinder my school as well as me p-, performing. I’m on my way to Hollywood,” [laughter] or somewhere, you know, just bein’ in a band, and so, uh, we, we did that for many years, and after practicing for about a year, actually, uh, Marilyn, your dad, [Bob Coulter 66:34], gave us our first gig outta the basement.

	Uh, we, uh, he let us, uh, signed us up to play at a [chair squeaking] club called L’s Club out on South [tapping] Martin Luther King. I don’t know if y’all know where that is. But, uh, we weren’t, weren’t that good, but Bob, he allowed us to play there every Friday and, and Saturday for a while, uh, when we had a chance to, and, uh, believe it or not, our popularity grew and, uh, we started playin’ for some bigger and better functions, but we always enjoyed comin’ back to the L’s and I really, uh, I really thank Bob and his heart, and I, uh, thank Marilyn, also, because he, he’s the one that, uh, gave us our first chance. And I s-, I enjoy music, and, uh, that’s what I plan to, uh, be involved in when I retire.

Marilyn Coulter:	Excellent.

Cheryl McQuaid:	Cheryl McQuaid. [67:37] Sam, you sang us a little song about Fisher Body before we started this interview. Can you share that with us?

Samuel Warren:	Uh, sure. I don’t think I actually sang; I think that was a rap, and you’re probably wonderin’ why is a old cat like me with a 55 on his shirt – and that is my age, give or take a couple years – but, uh, that rap. But rap used to, uh, rap came out durin’ my time; Curtis Blow and the Sugar Hill Gang, you might a heard some a those groups, but [chair squeaking] basically [chair squeaking] I rapped. I could say those words back to ya, but, uh, if ya wanted me to.

Cheryl McQuaid:	I want you to.

Samuel Warren:	I’m not a rapper, but, uh, I do think I’m, uh, somewhat of a songwriter and, uh, and a poet. Uh, I did say, basically – and I used to tell people this in the Plant when they’d ask where you from and when did you get hired, the same thing we went through today. Basically, how it all started was: I was born in Paris and raised in Rome; I moved to Lansing, made it my home; I stopped at Fischer Body, got job; ‘cause I wanted to work, didn’t wanna rob; when ya look at me, ya see I’m lookin’ good; and I thought I on my way to Hollywood; when I get Hollywood, you’ll know one thing; I got there ‘cause I got my bang, bang, bang. [laughter] And that’s it. [laughter]

Marilyn Coulter:	Thank you, Sam.

Jerri Smith:	Thank you.

Cheryl McQuaid:	Thank you very much.

Samuel Warren:	Thank, thank you. [laughter]


/rt